New York, September 22, 2009 -- The National Council of
Churches, which has been relatively silent about nuclear disarmament since
the end of the Cold War, has firmly renewed its opposition to proliferation
with a ringing resolution.

The
NCC Governing Board, meeting here September 21 and 22, unanimously adopted a
statement called, "Nuclear Disarmament: The Time is Now." The resolution was
drafted by the Council's Justice and Advocacy Commission.

"The idea for the resolution originated from the
initiative of historic peace churches in Philadelphia in January," said the
Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General Secretary. The gathering, "Heeding
God's Call, A Gathering on Peace," hosted by the Church of the Brethren,
Quakers and Mennonites, met January 13-17, 2009

"The end of the Cold War didn't end the nuclear threat,
it only changed the character of it," Kinnamon said. "Ecumenical opposition
to nuclear weapons has been on the back burner and there was a strong
feeling it was time to bring it back to the front burner."

The resolution reiterates the NCC's historic
declaration that nuclear weapons are a violation of God's law, and the idea
that they deter enemy attacks is nonsense.

The resolution quotes Jonathan Granoff, author of "The
Fire Next Time: Faith and the Future of Nuclear Weapons" in Reflections.
"Nuclear weapons are of no value against terrorists, they're suicidal to use
against a country that has them, and it's patently immoral to use against a
country that doesn't have them," Granoff declares. "So why do we have them?"

As North Korea and Iran move closer to developing
nuclear weapons, the United States must take the lead to bring "the
diplomatic weight of the whole rest of the world" to disarm.

But is it possible to put the genie
back in the bottle? The resolution offers a qualified "yes, because once the
current worldwide stockpile of weapons is eliminated, it will become
extremely difficult to assemble the raw materials to make a new one without the rest of
the world taking notice."

The resolution calls on NCC member communions to make
their voices heard in Congress and the White House to "reaffirm the goal of
the total elimination of nuclear weapons."

Communions are also urged to support the work of the
NCC "in carrying out an effective program advocating for nuclear
disarmament."

The NCC resolution will be shared with the Board of
Directors of Church World Service. If the board approves it, the resolution
will come before the NCC/CWS General Assembly November 10-12 in Minneapolis
for action as a General Assembly resolution.